Problems We Found In Oklahoma City's Drinking Water

For Hydroviv’s Oklahoma City water quality report, we aggregated water quality test data from Oklahoma City Utilities, the city’s water provider, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. We cross reference these data with toxicity studies in scientific and medical literature, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we build for people who live in Oklahoma City are optimized with these figures in mind.

Source Of Oklahoma City Drinking Water

Oklahoma City’s water footprint spans 250 miles and includes seven surface water reservoirs from five counties in Oklahoma. They include Canton Lake in northwest Oklahoma, McGee Creek, Lake Atoka, and Sardis Lake in southeastern Oklahoma, as well as Lake Overholser, Lake Hefner and Lake Stanley Draper in Oklahoma City.

Arsenic In Oklahoma City Drinking Water

Arsenic is a toxic metal that is known to cause cancer and other health issues. Unlike lead, which distributes into water from plumbing, arsenic comes from the source water itself. Long Beach is in compliance with the EPA’s water quality standards but it is very important to point out that EPA’s standard balances the toxicity against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. The most recent Oklahoma City water quality report revealed an average arsenic concentration up to 2 parts per billion for the city. Hydroviv recommends that anyone with more than 1 part per billion take steps to remove arsenic from their water, especially if they have children.

Chromium 6 Levels In Oklahoma City Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a highly toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA. In recent years, Oklahoma City’s tap water has averaged 110 parts per trillion for Chromium 6, with levels reaching 390 parts per trillion. While they are in compliance with nonexistent federal and very loose state regulations, these levels are 5.5-19 times higher than the concentration determined to have negligible impact on cancer risk.

Lead Levels In Oklahoma City Tap Water

Lead is a contaminant that enters OKC's tap water when it leaches from lead-containing pipes, valves, joints, and fixtures, and homes built before 1986 are particularly susceptible. 2015 was the most recent year when Oklahoma City collected samples for lead analysis, and they found that the 90th percentile was 5 parts per billion or below. For sake of comparison, the American Academy Of Pediatrics is lobbying for policy that fixes taps for children that produce water with more than 1 part per billion lead.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Oklahoma City Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic matter. Although these chemicals are not currently regulated very well, the EPA website discloses that high levels of disinfection byproducts in drinking water are are associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. Oklahoma City's disinfection byproduct levels are on the upper end of compliance.

Use Of Chloramine In Pittsburgh Tap Water

While most cities use chlorine as the primary disinfectant, Oklahoma City water is disinfected withchloramine(which is formed by mixing chlorine and ammonia). Chloramine is the primary culprit for what many customers report as the “bad taste”of tap water, and unlike chlorine will not dissipate if left in the fridge overnight. Most one-size-fits-all water filters use filtration media that successfully removing chloramine, but the filters that Hydroviv builds for Oklahoma City use special filtration media that are designed to remove chloramine as well.

Still Have Questions About Oklahoma City Tap Water Or Water Quality In General?

Hydrovivis a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each customer's water. The contaminants that we list above are what we consider to be major “points of emphasis” that we use to buildwater filtersthat are built specifically for Oklahoma City, but our filters provide broad protection against a wide range of additional contaminants found in Oklahoma City's tap water.

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for Oklahoma City's water, or just have questions about water quality in general, feel free to visitwww.hydroviv.com, reach out by email (hello@hydroviv.com) or through our live chat. We also frequently post water-related news onTwitter orFacebook. We pride ourselves in being a reputable source of information on water quality, and your questions will be answered by scientists, not salespeople (we don't have any salespeople on staff).

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